A 1957 Packard Clipper, set for auction, sits on a lift inside the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, earlier this week. Tribune Photo

SOUTH BEND — Two vehicles that have been a part of the Studebaker National Museum’s collection for 40 years, but never displayed, will soon be up for public bid.

Studebaker archivist Andrew Beckman said the vehicles, a 1954 Conestoga station wagon and a 1957 Packard Clipper, were donated in the mid-1970s. This year’s annual review recommended culling them from the collection “because they were not a good use of limited resources.”

He said the vehicles need extensive conservation and restoration because of issues with the paint and several structural parts that were missing or need repair. It’s possible, he said, however, that they could be made drivable again. Fortunately, he said, the museum has other vehicles that are better representations of the period for exhibit.

Dr. Mark Smucker, a Studebaker enthusiast who lives in Middlebury, said the ‘54 Conestoga wagon and ‘57 Packard Clipper represent different parts of Studebaker history. The Conestoga made its mark by having a roof that could slide off the back to make room for items as large as a refrigerator.

“You would be able to take out six passengers in front seats and another two to three on (third-row) seats in back,” he said. “The use of that was for moms hauling around their kids and groceries, similar to a hatchback. It was like a car and a pickup in one vehicle.”

According to Smucker, after the Great Depression, the Packard company had to merge with Studebaker, otherwise it would have been forced out of business by larger automobile manufacturers.

“The least expensive way to make a Packard (after the merger) was to take a car that was on the Studebaker line and modify it to have some more Packard-looking features and label it as a Packard,” Smucker said. “Those cars were quite different from Packard. They had a variety of engines. They had a few Packard engines but they lost those manufacturing plants, so they started using Studebaker engines.

“1957 and 1958 Packards are essentially glorified Studebakers.”

The Studebaker museum follows procedures for removal set by the American Alliance of Museums.

Joe Klem, director of communications for AAM, said “many museum collections contain objects that may no longer have relevance to the museum’s mission.”

Klem said, “All too often, they remain in the collection, using up space and institutional resources”

“In no event,” he added, “should the potential monetary value of an object be considered as part of the criteria for determining whether or not” a piece should be kept or taken out of a collection.

Beckman said the two cars being removed from the Studebaker museum will likely be listed for Internet auction and “the funds from those stay with the collection.”

Although these cars were donated, the museum often displays vehicles that are loaned or purchased using museum funds.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association’s website, a 1958 Packard Clipper had an original Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price of $3,212, while a 1956 Conestoga station wagon had an MSRP of $2,448. Beckman would not speculate on how much the museum’s auction of its two cars is expected to bring in.

Smucker said cars from the 1950s can sell for $20,000 to $30,000 if they are in great condition. For lower end Studebakers that have missing parts or other problems, he said the price can be as little as $50 to $1,500.

Source: South Bend Tribune